Packing for overnight camp….umm I mean daycare

September 4th was a dreaded day in our household. Not only did I go back to work after being off of work for over 13 months but I was starting a new job, The Hubster was starting a new job at a new school and Princess Peach was starting daycare. When I went for my one daycare visit with Princess Peach (The Hubster took Princess Peach to the other two) the daycare supervisor told me that on the first day her job is to escort crying mothers out of the building. Must be a pretty awesome job, right? The Hubster and I decided on the first day we would drop her off together. I then asked her if she’s ever escorted a crying father out of the building which she flat-out said “No”. Well, I warned her. The Hubster will be her first crying daddy victim He started crying while we were talking about our Tuesday morning plan in the days leading up to the 4th. He’s a wuss. Although I have to admit I got very teary eyed as well. Just turning the corner to park the car on that morning I bawled my eyes out. Just seeing the daycare building made me so sad. These days I don’t cry but still get sad dropping my babe off.

Labour Day weekend had me planning and preparing all the things I needed to get ready for Princess Peach ready for daycare. I honestly felt like I was sending her to overnight camp for 8 weeks. That’s how much work it was!

Ok. so let’s start with the labels. Obviously everything we send to daycare needs to be labelled. Even their reminders on what to bring for the first day says LABELS in big letters and is underlined. So, labels. I turned to Mabel’s Labels. They are awesome. I got a package that has skinny labels, shoe labels, clothing labels, two bag tags and then I added bigger labels to the order. I couldn’t be more pleased with my labels. They are cute, durable and SOOOO easy to use. Best of all I can rest assure that all of her items should make their way back home.

My handy-dandy laundry Sharpie. Back in my days of being a camper I used iron-ons which I could see using in the future but items that I didn’t want a label in got markered. I have to say I love Sharpies. They are easy and the tip is thin so you can totally make out the name on your items. The letters don’t bleed together, I didn’t feel like wasting my precious labels on some summer clothes that have another max 4 week life so those items got Sharpied. SO easy.

Then there was buying a daycare pillow. So at daycare she gets assigned her own crib, well mini crib in a closet room. I honestly dont’ know how she is going to nap there but it is their problem and supposedly she naps 2 hours a day in that teeny, tiny room. I dont’ know how she does it because I could never sleep like that! Anyways I want her to be as comfortable as she is at home so I had to go to Ikea to buy another toddler pillow. Totally love this pillow. It’s fluffy enough to be comfortable but not too fluffy that I worry about her being suffocated. Along with her pillow she requires her two monkeys and a blanket and a pacifier.

We have to provide our wipes, diapers and creams so I had to add those to my list of items to get. I had to go to three separate stores to get all three but a mom’s gotta do what a mom’s gotta do.

Then it was buying and labeling sippy cups and pacifiers for daycare. Labeling all her bottles.

Going through her clothes, lots of clothes and sorting which ones I will send her to daycare in and which are after school and weekend clothes. Am I crazy? Am I the only mom who does this? Please tell me I’m not alone! I dont’ want her to get her nice expensive clothes dirty at daycare so she will have a separate-ish wardrobe. As I told The Hubster. Things without labels don’t go to daycare. Easy peasy. At least for us me!

Unlike camp I know that she isn’t leaving me for 8 weeks and I will see her daily. Different from camp I will have to be constantly labeling everything I ever plan on sending to daycare. I can’t imagine how stressed I will feel when I need to pack her for sleep away camp. Or maybe by that time I’ll be a pro for getting her ready for daycare. Either way, every morning when I drop her off at daycare I know that she is as set and prepared as she can be for the day…..well at least her clothes and items are